‘Just googled vabbing and now I wish I hadn’t’: Why this trend has people disgusted
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Some trends spark curiosity, while others leave people utterly baffled.
When an unusual practice resurfaced online, it reignited debates about science, attraction, and personal hygiene.
What started as a niche concept quickly spread across social media, dividing opinions and prompting medical professionals to weigh in on the potential risks.
The trend, known as ‘vabbing’, involved women using their vaginal discharge as a natural perfume in the hope of attracting potential partners.
The practice—where discharge was dabbed behind the ears, on the wrists, and along the neck—gained mainstream attention when American content creator Mandy Lee posted a video in 2022 discussing its supposed benefits.
Her clip, which racked up 1.5 million views before being taken down, claimed vabbing increased attraction, similar to pheromone-based perfumes.
Many online users who had just discovered the trend expressed their horror.
‘Just googled "vabbing" and now I wish I hadn’t. There are definitely some things a person of a certain age doesn’t need to know…’ one person wrote.
Another simply said: ‘I just found out about vabbing.’
Someone else reacted with, ‘"Vabbing" because what the was that.’
The term—a fusion of ‘vagina’ and ‘dabbing’—was first coined in 2019 by sex expert and author Shan Boodram.
In her book, The Game of Desire, she wrote: ‘I am certain that every single time I employ it, it makes me feel like an enchanted goddess with a delicious secret.’
Mandy Lee’s viral 2022 video reignited interest in the practice, especially among younger audiences.
‘I swear if you vab, you will attract people—like a date, a one-night stand, or you’ll just get free drinks all night,’ she claimed.
She advised followers to apply the discharge sparingly, saying: ‘You don’t have to be fresh out of the shower clean but relatively clean. Dab vab behind the ears, on the wrists, maybe a little on the neck.’
‘Proceed with caution—because it works,’ she added.
Although her video was removed, the trend continued to circulate, with other content creators promoting it.
One creator, Jewliah, even posted a ‘Vabbing 101’ guide, claiming she had tested the method for a week.
‘Disclaimer, I did not come up with vabbing. But I’ve done it for a week and it’s been working for me,’ she said in her clip, which amassed 2.2 million views.
She instructed people to shower before vabbing, wash their hands before and after application, and avoid the practice while menstruating.
She also warned against vabbing if experiencing an unusual or bad smell, having an STI, or failing to clean gym equipment after use.
Medical professionals, however, cautioned that vabbing posed several health risks.
Dr Paraskevi Dimitriadi, a private gynaecologist in London, warned that bacteria from unwashed hands could cause infections, including bacterial vaginosis, thrush, and even pelvic inflammatory disease.
‘If you use dirty fingers inside your vagina to collect discharge, you can not only potentially traumatise the tissue but also spread infection, potentially causing something as serious as a pelvic inflammatory disease,’ she said.
Pelvic inflammatory disease could lead to scarring in the fallopian tubes, making it difficult for fertilised eggs to reach the womb, which could impact fertility.
Aside from hygiene concerns, experts questioned whether vabbing even worked as claimed.
The idea was based on the notion that pheromones—chemical signals that influence behaviour in some animals—could make a person more attractive.
However, Dr Dimitriadi dismissed the practice as unnecessary.
‘We secrete the same pheromones throughout the glands of our body. We have pheromones in our sweat. We also secrete pheromones through urine and we don’t put that on our bodies,’ she said.
‘There is absolutely no need to use your vaginal discharge on other parts of your body to attract a partner.’
Professor Erick Janssen, a neuroscientist at KU Leuven in Belgium, also cast doubt on the concept.
‘I am not sure if this is a fad—or perhaps I should say vad—but I seriously question the validity of the claims involved,’ he shared.
Many animals detect pheromones through a sensory organ called the vomeronasal organ (VNO), which sits beneath the roof of the mouth.
‘Pheromones are not things we consciously smell. They are possibly "detected" by our VNO, but in addition to discussion about whether humans have a real VNO, there also is discussion, if it actually works, or is some evolutionary but now inactive left-over structure somewhere in our nose,’ he explained.
With medical experts debunking the science and raising concerns about health risks, vabbing remained a divisive and controversial trend.
With experts debunking the claims behind vabbing, do you think this trend was ever about science—or just another social media craze?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
When an unusual practice resurfaced online, it reignited debates about science, attraction, and personal hygiene.
What started as a niche concept quickly spread across social media, dividing opinions and prompting medical professionals to weigh in on the potential risks.
The trend, known as ‘vabbing’, involved women using their vaginal discharge as a natural perfume in the hope of attracting potential partners.
The practice—where discharge was dabbed behind the ears, on the wrists, and along the neck—gained mainstream attention when American content creator Mandy Lee posted a video in 2022 discussing its supposed benefits.
Her clip, which racked up 1.5 million views before being taken down, claimed vabbing increased attraction, similar to pheromone-based perfumes.
Bizarre trend claims to boost attraction. Image source: Tiktok/_simphiwe96
Many online users who had just discovered the trend expressed their horror.
‘Just googled "vabbing" and now I wish I hadn’t. There are definitely some things a person of a certain age doesn’t need to know…’ one person wrote.
Another simply said: ‘I just found out about vabbing.’
Someone else reacted with, ‘"Vabbing" because what the was that.’
The term—a fusion of ‘vagina’ and ‘dabbing’—was first coined in 2019 by sex expert and author Shan Boodram.
In her book, The Game of Desire, she wrote: ‘I am certain that every single time I employ it, it makes me feel like an enchanted goddess with a delicious secret.’
Mandy Lee’s viral 2022 video reignited interest in the practice, especially among younger audiences.
‘I swear if you vab, you will attract people—like a date, a one-night stand, or you’ll just get free drinks all night,’ she claimed.
She advised followers to apply the discharge sparingly, saying: ‘You don’t have to be fresh out of the shower clean but relatively clean. Dab vab behind the ears, on the wrists, maybe a little on the neck.’
‘Proceed with caution—because it works,’ she added.
Although her video was removed, the trend continued to circulate, with other content creators promoting it.
One creator, Jewliah, even posted a ‘Vabbing 101’ guide, claiming she had tested the method for a week.
‘Disclaimer, I did not come up with vabbing. But I’ve done it for a week and it’s been working for me,’ she said in her clip, which amassed 2.2 million views.
She instructed people to shower before vabbing, wash their hands before and after application, and avoid the practice while menstruating.
She also warned against vabbing if experiencing an unusual or bad smell, having an STI, or failing to clean gym equipment after use.
Medical professionals, however, cautioned that vabbing posed several health risks.
Dr Paraskevi Dimitriadi, a private gynaecologist in London, warned that bacteria from unwashed hands could cause infections, including bacterial vaginosis, thrush, and even pelvic inflammatory disease.
‘If you use dirty fingers inside your vagina to collect discharge, you can not only potentially traumatise the tissue but also spread infection, potentially causing something as serious as a pelvic inflammatory disease,’ she said.
Pelvic inflammatory disease could lead to scarring in the fallopian tubes, making it difficult for fertilised eggs to reach the womb, which could impact fertility.
Aside from hygiene concerns, experts questioned whether vabbing even worked as claimed.
The idea was based on the notion that pheromones—chemical signals that influence behaviour in some animals—could make a person more attractive.
However, Dr Dimitriadi dismissed the practice as unnecessary.
‘We secrete the same pheromones throughout the glands of our body. We have pheromones in our sweat. We also secrete pheromones through urine and we don’t put that on our bodies,’ she said.
‘There is absolutely no need to use your vaginal discharge on other parts of your body to attract a partner.’
Professor Erick Janssen, a neuroscientist at KU Leuven in Belgium, also cast doubt on the concept.
‘I am not sure if this is a fad—or perhaps I should say vad—but I seriously question the validity of the claims involved,’ he shared.
Many animals detect pheromones through a sensory organ called the vomeronasal organ (VNO), which sits beneath the roof of the mouth.
‘Pheromones are not things we consciously smell. They are possibly "detected" by our VNO, but in addition to discussion about whether humans have a real VNO, there also is discussion, if it actually works, or is some evolutionary but now inactive left-over structure somewhere in our nose,’ he explained.
With medical experts debunking the science and raising concerns about health risks, vabbing remained a divisive and controversial trend.
With experts debunking the claims behind vabbing, do you think this trend was ever about science—or just another social media craze?
Let us know your thoughts in the comments.
